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USMEF thanks corn and soybean farmers at Commodity Classic
Commodity Classic saw record attendance in San Antonio last week with more than 12,000 attendees representing the agriculture industry. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has been a longtime participant in the event’s trade show and had an expanded presence in 2025 and 2026. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said that expansion was to showcase the innovative cuts and recipes USMEF promotes around the globe and to thank the corn and soybean producers who support export efforts. The...
Farm bankruptcies on the rise in 2025
The latest data from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shows farm bankruptcies increasing year over year. Joe Peiffer, an attorney with Ag & Business Legal Strategies in Hiawatha Iowa, says the numbers are disturbing. Peiffer says the...
Iowa Corn Growers congratulate California on approval of E15
Yesterday in California, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 30, which legalizes the sale of E15, a fuel blend made with 15% corn ethanol that is cleaner-burning, homegrown and more affordable than ordinary fuels. With the addition of California, it is now legal in...
District Court advances ranchers’ challenge to tag mandate
A legal challenge over the USDA’s electronic identification (EID) tag mandate for certain cattle and bison is moving forward after the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota denied much of the USDA’s attempt to dismiss the case. The lawsuit, brought by...
Ag marketplace is navigating blind without USDA reports
With the government shutdown in full effect, there won't be any export sales reports until Congress can pass a budget resolution. However, we can still look at the estimates this week for a rough idea of what the sales might look like. Allendale commodity broker Greg...
Government shuts down as Congress fails to pass budget resolution
The Congressional budget year runs through September 30, and the clock has recently run out. Emily Buckman, director of government relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said Congress was unable to reach an agreement to keep the federal government open....
Favorable fall weather conditions assisting Iowa’s farmers
Mother Nature is lending a helping hand to farmers this week as conditions are excellent for many aspects of agriculture. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the Central U.S. is experiencing nearly ideal conditions for both harvest and planting cover crops. Rippey...
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Scouting crops from inside the combine cab
As harvest continues to wrap up, farmers need to be scouting their fields for what things need to be changed for next year. Fortunately, the combine cab is the perfect mobile office to do this scouting from. Northwest Iowa AgriGold Agronomist Jeff Morey said there are...
Trade developments are encouraging, but more progress is needed with China
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced agreements on reciprocal trade with Malaysia and Cambodia and frameworks for agreements on reciprocal trade with Thailand and Vietnam. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom said...
Big week for tariffs and SNAP
It’s a big week for President Trump’s tariffs with the issue set to be addressed in court. The Supreme Court is set to hear challenges to President Trump’s tariffs, brought by small businesses and several states. Critics argue that the 1977 law doesn’t grant the...
NASS reports returning this month
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will release several key agriculture reports in November, including a monthly crop supply and demand report that wasn’t issued last month because of the government shutdown. According to a post on its website, NASS...
China’s soybean purchases seen as symbolic, not transformative
It’s been months of uncertainty between the United States and China since President Trump placed new tariffs on Chinese goods, sparking another round of back-and-forth tension in the ag sector. Now, an agreement reached last week has China pledging to resume purchases...
